Traditionally, remote location control of wired or wirelessly communicating devices in a building or other environment has been enabled by a physical controller (“hub”) that contains multiple wireless radios, memory, storage, logic and a connection to the home router. Until recently, this controller has typically been a standalone, local-only device that enables communication between other local devices, the hub, and some sort of interface. More recently, this controller hub has been used as a means to reach a Head-end Controller Service via the internet, thus connecting some devices to other services that the internet enables. The establishment of this connection enables the remote Head-end Controller Service to gather data from and send commands to devices connected to the controller hub in the local premises.
Devices like Bluetooth speakers, fitness bands, and other wearables are currently available to communicate via direct, local protocols such as Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy. However, these types of devices have relatively low reach which makes communicating with these types of devices via a fixed hub, which may be located anywhere in a home or environment, a difficult proposition.
Furthermore, it may be desirable in some instances to provide a person, such as a resident in a home, with the ability to more intelligently control multiple local devices in a convenient manner.